Silver halide light-sensitive photographic materials are strongly demanded to comprise high sensitivity and high quality. On the other hand, an increased consumption of the light-sensitive materials makes it indispensable to process them rapidly in a short time. Particularly, in the field of radiographic materials for medical use, rapid processing is required because of necessity for informing the diagnostic results to the patients as soon as possible, while a number of radiographed films has recently been increasing due to rapid increase of diagnostic frequency and examination items. Especially, in an angiography and an in-operation radiography, the radiographs are required to be checked without a moment's delay.
Under such circumstances, various attempts have ever been made to develop techniques for rapid processing: for example, in an image forming process, development was tried for acceleration of processing at high pH and temperature (30.degree. to 40.degree. C.). Such high pH and temperature, however, are liable to result in deteriorating photographic images. Particularly when processing in an automatic processor, the above conditions are liable to deteriorate a light-sensitive material's pressure resistance and result in deteriorating images due to so-called roller marks formed by pressure of transport rollers.
In radiography, deterioration of images possibly leads to an erroneous diagnosis.
In the case of an X-ray film, where a developed silver image is visually observed for diagnosis, its image quality, i.e., a tone of silver forming an image, graininess, resolution, and sharpness are very important factors.
From a diagnostic point of view, the tone of the developed silver affects that of the image, and a low density area corresponding to D=1.0 comprises most preferably a black tone free of stain tinged with red or yellow.
To these demands mentioned above, there have been a number of proposals such as improvement of physical properties or application of a toning agent. Any of these proposals, however, comprise possibility to affect the photographic characteristics of a light-sensitive material.